71B Corridor Plan

Last July Fayetteville launched a community planning process to rethink the 71B corridor. A critical goal was to engage the community to help develop strategies to improve the corridor’s economic vitality, increase affordable housing, make it safe and convenient for all modes of travel, encourage active and healthy living, and create an attractive front door to Fayetteville’s downtown and adjacent neighborhoods.

The 71B corridor Illustrative Plan and Transportation Framework represent the project’s first major work products for public review. These illustrations are the result of an extensive citizen participation process which involved a detailed citizen survey, five highly interactive public workshops/design studios, monthly 71B Steering Committee meetings, and input from our Planning Commission and Members of our City Council. The consultant team completed a detailed parcel-by-parcel analyses of the entire corridor, which is summarized on the illustrative plan.

As depicted on the Illustrative Plan Transportation Framework, Fayetteville residents and business owners want to address increasing traffic congestion problems on the northern end of the corridor, and improve aesthetics, safety, economic vitality, and development potential throughout the corridor. Common themes were a desire to make strategic public improvements to attract private investment and improve the corridor’s image and livability. Participants understood 71B Corridor improvements would happen gradually and take time to complete, but that didn’t diminish their support for taking bold action and getting started immediately.

Initial projects identified for possible bond funding included:

Alleviating congestion on the northern end by constructing parallel north/south connections

Reconstructing the section between Township and North Streets as shown on the Illustrative Plan by adding medians for better traffic control

Reconstructing sidewalks to make it safer for pedestrians

Adding bus shelters and transit lanes at key intersections

The corridor carries less traffic south of downtown and this section has been identified for “rightsizing” as shown on the illustrative plan to gain more space for pedestrian and bicycle amenities and to make it more livable and attractive for residential development.

Current Status / Next Steps

The next step in the process is to create a preliminary written plan which will be available and posted on-line by the last week of April and be presented to the Steering Committee, Planning Commission, and Mayor and City Council in May, 2019. The results of that review will result in a final plan which is scheduled to be completed in June. View targeted dates below.